Be Careful What You Wish For Read Online Free PDF

seconds old, and I’d already made two mistakes!
    I kept telling myself it was just a game, but it didn’t really help. Every time I heard someone laugh I knew they were laughing at me, at how I’d started the game by running in the wrong direction.
    When I looked up at the score for the first time, it was six to nothing, Jefferson.
    The ball suddenly came sailing to me, seemingly from out of nowhere. I grabbed for it, but it slipped out of my hands. One of my teammates took it, dribbled, then passed it back to me.
    I took my first shot. It hit the backboard — a triumph for me! — but didn’t come near the basket. Jefferson took the rebound. A few seconds later it was eight to nothing.
    I’m playing worse than ever!
I moaned to myself. I could see Judith glaring angrily at me from across the floor.
    I backed up, staying in the corner, away from the basket. I decided to try to keep out of the action as much as possible. Maybe that way I wouldn’t embarrass myself quite so much.
    After about five minutes into the first quarter, things started to get weird.
    The score was twelve to two, Jefferson.
    Judith threw the ball inbounds. She meant to throw it to Anna. But Judith’s toss was weak, and the ball bounced to a short, blond-haired Jefferson player.
    I saw Judith yawn as she ran after the girl.
    A few seconds later, the ball was loose, bouncing near the center of the court. Anna made a weak grab for it. But she seemed to be moving in slow motion, and the blond Jefferson player snatched it from her hands.
    Anna stood watching her, breathing hard, perspiration running down her forehead. I had to stop and stare. Anna looked
exhausted
— and we’d only been playing five minutes!
    The Jefferson team dribbled all the way across the floor, passing the ball from girl to girl, as our players stood and watched.
    “Let’s go, Mustangs!” Judith cried, trying to rouse everyone. But I saw her yawn again as she walked to the sidelines to throw in the ball.
    “Come on, girls! Hustle! Hustle!” Ellen was shouting from the sidelines, her hands cupped around her mouth. “Run, Judith — don’t walk! Let’s look
alive!”
    Judith sent another feeble throw onto the floor. It bounced away from a Jefferson player. I scooped it up and started to dribble it, running full speed.
    Just outside the key, I stopped, turned, and looked for someone to pass it to.
    But to my surprise, my teammates were still far behind me, walking slowly, exhaustedly, in my direction.
    As the Jefferson players swarmed around me, trying to take the ball away, I took a shot. It hit the rim of the basket — and bounced right back into my hands.
    So I took another shot. And missed again.
    Judith raised her hands slowly to catch the rebound. But the ball bounced right through her hands. She frowned in surprise but didn’t make a move to go after it.
    I grabbed the ball, dribbled twice, nearly tripped over it — and shot.
    To my amazement, the ball bounced on top of the hoop, landed on the rim, and then dropped through.
    “Way to go, Sam!” I heard Ellen shout from the sidelines.
    My teammates uttered weak cheers. I watchedthem go after the Jefferson players, yawning and moving in slow motion, as if in some kind of trance.
    “Pick it up! Pick it up!” Ellen was shouting encouragement.
    But her words didn’t seem to help.
    Judith tripped and fell to her knees. As I stared in bewilderment, she didn’t get up.
    Anna was yawning loudly, walking toward the ball, not running.
    My two other Mustang teammates also seemed to be wandering hazily in slow motion, making lame attempts to defend our basket.
    Jefferson scored easily.
    Judith was still on her knees, her eyes half shut.
    What on earth is happening?
I wondered.
    A long, shrill whistle broke into my thoughts. It took me a while to realize that Ellen had called time out.
    “Mustangs — hustle up! Hustle up!” she shouted, motioning for us to cluster around her.
    I quickly trotted over to Ellen. Turning